First Filipina brew master from Palawan: A continuing legacy

Like Julia Child and any passionate cook and foodie, heart and passion have been the “secret” ingredients of Palaweño Brewery, touted as the first craft beer brewery in Palawan, the first Philippine craft beer in the US, and a company founded by what is believed to be the first female craft beer brewers in the Philippines.

But how can one continue brewing something with heart and passion when one’s heart is in pain?

That was the dilemma of the brewery after its female founder, Ayah Javier, died during the pandemic.

“Our master brewer passed away. Her mom passed away… So I asked Malu (Lauengco, co-founder) after we went through this, do you want to continue? Because your heart might not be in it and as we know, all these products require heart require passion,” a representative of the brewery shared at a MaArte Fair gathering in Makati City.

Malu’s answer is obvious as, after that major setback, the brewery is back on its feet to continue Ayah’s legacy. Their brewery will be among the over 160 artisans that will be participating at the fair from 7 to 10 August in The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

Javier’s brainchild, the brewery was founded in Ayah in Palawan after coming home from San Diego, California, the so-called birthplace of craft breweries in the United States, and where she lived and started to fall in love with craft beers. Armed with only a home brewer’s kit she took home from California, Ayah brought in Malu to start their own brewery from their modest kitchen.

They then began throwing “Ayahay Night” parties for friends to try their new brews. “Ayahay” means “relaxed” in Palawan. Soon, the concoctions became a hit among locals and tourists alike. Prior to the pandemic, the brand has also reached the US East Coast, making them arguably the first Philippine craft beer in America. Their “tiny” brand, said the representative, has also been featured by international press, including CNN and The Guardian.

Apart from offering what they claim as the Philippines’ first microbrewery tour, Palaweño Brewery takes pride in what it calls “pure Filipino beers.”

“San Miguel is based on a Spanish recipe; there are a lot of German beers. But (our beer) is a pure Filipino beer,” the representative declared.

Besides using yeast that is cultivated and identified in Palawan, the brewery uses only indigenous honey sourced and with permission from Palawan tribes.

“As much as possible, we try to use natural ingredients in beers,” he said, adding that they even had to hike to reach far-flung tribes to ask permission to cultivate honey from the tribes’ flowers.

The brewery might have lost Ayah, but her legacy goes on through her son, Noah, who is not only a “world-class” graphic artist, but is also a brew master.

“The key to our beer is to support women Filipino entrepreneurs. We’re going to donate a large portion of the (fair) sale to that,” the brewery’s representative avowed.